Stock Update: Freudis Nova-Houston Astros Future SS

Long seen as one of the highest ceilings in the organization, trades and graduations have pushed Nova to the top of the rankings early. Is he on track to stay there?

Make no mistake: the Astros farm system is no longer strong. After consistently ranking somewhere in the top half of the league through most of the Luhnow era, they are currently unquestionably among the bottom 5-10 systems in Major League Baseball, with only one top 100 candidate and a handful of other names who project as major leaguers of some variety. In that second group, the one player who could reasonably be projected as a potential star is Freudis Nova, long seen as one of the most exciting international prospects to enter the organization in years.

With a powerful 6’1” frame, mammoth arm strength and sudden athleticism, Nova carries all the hallmarks of a strong defensive left side infielder, with a solid chance to keep playing shortstop all the way up the ladder. He may end up growing out of the position and moving to third, but if that happens he’d project as a strong defender with above average range for the hot corner and more than enough arm.

While the defensive tools are strong, Nova’s calling card has always been offensive upside, a product of his explosive right handed swing and raw power. Entering 2019, there was a path for Nova to emerge as a top 100 prospect with a good offensive showing in the Midwest League at age 19. After a rock solid .308/.331/.466 slash line the previous season in the GCL, expectations were high. In rookie ball, Nova had maintained tidy strikeout totals with a sprinkling of power and speed, with the former expected to continue to mature rapidly.

In his full season ball assignment this past season, Nova was a mixed bag. While it would be fair to say his performance was disappointing, there were plenty of positive markers that have buoyed his stock entering 2020. Unfortunately, he was only able to compete in 75 games on the year, a product of some minor injuries that kept him shelved for stretches of the season, which was doubly disappointing as he had to miss some time right as he seemed to catch his stride at the level. The biggest problem that Nova showed in full-season ball was a less than ideal approach. This hadn’t hindered him much in rookie ball as he hit most of what was thrown his way, but making the jump to much older competition saw him struggle with bad swings at chase pitches. The result was a strikeout rate that ballooned to 22.7%, a manageable number, but one that needs to be offset with a healthy dose of power and walks. The latter was not there, and watching Nova’s game at bats evidences why- at this stage in his development, Nova is a free swinger, and produces more swings and misses and weak contact than his swing should in theory.

Item Condition/Details - Please Read

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Graded card cases may come chipped, scratched and scuffed. I do not offer partial refunds or returns because of the case condition.

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Item Condition/Details

Raw cards are sold as such, and no questions regarding expected grade or guarantees of such will be responded to.

Graded card cases my come chipped, scratched and scuffed. I do not offer partial refunds or returns because of the case condition.

***PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL SALES ARE FINAL, AND RETURNS ARE NOT ACCEPTED.  SEE PHOTOS PROVIDED OF EACH ITEM PRIOR TO BIDDING, AND NOTE THAT PER ITEM DESCRIPTION CARDS MAY HAVE FLAWS AND ARE NOT GUARANTEED TO MEET A CERTAIN CONDITION***

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Condition is noted as used - cards can have any number of issues that do not detract from the overall look of the image on the card. These issues can include scratches/surface wear, and flaws on edges and corners. See photos provided for centering condition as well as to make your own assessment of card condition.

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